Mothers play significant role in athletics on this day

It’s Mother’s Day, the day we have set aside to honor mothers throughout the country. Actually, each day should be a day to reflect on what our mothers and fathers have done for us and what, as parents, we have done for our children.

Of course not every parent sticks around, a curse of our society. But for those that do, especially with athletic children, it’s very satisfying and rewarding. This week, we listened as NBA most valuable player Kevin Durant praised his mom and viewed top NFL draftees hug their mommas after being announced.

Athletes, it seems, have a special place in their hearts for their mothers. It usually starts at an early age as it’s the mom who often takes the athlete to practice and enforces the rules (mainly grades) required. We are short-changing fathers, but during our lengthy career, we’ve seen more mothers at practices than fathers.

Not many will remember Courtney Hall, who played football at L.A. Banning, Rice University and the San Diego Chargers. Yet, despite the fact he last played in the NFL in 1999, his praise of his mother rings true for so many current athletes.

“My mom is probably the toughest person I know and she really instilled that toughness, fearlessness, really great desire to achieve and excel and not let anything hold me back,” the former All_pro center said. “Everything that I have done, she has said, ‘Courtney, do not settle for second best. Always strive to do more, do better, and do not be afraid to fail because if you do not try you are not going to know how well you can do.’

“She is still a very powerful force in my life and gives me a lot of great words and inspiration.”

Not a bad compliment to the person that brought you in to the world.

And talk of tough, we’ll always remember the role Chris Polk’s mom played in his life. Long before he joined the NFL and the Eagles, Polk played youth football in the area before his Redlands East Valley High School career. He was good enough to earn a scholarship to Washington.

But what made him so tough? His mother played tackle with him, encouraging her son to run faster and hit harder until she no longer was able to take it. Many others followed her path on getting out of Chris’ way.

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While not widely known, mothers were a key part of the Fontana High School football dynasty more than 25 years ago. Each time one of Dick Bruich’s players gained all-CIF recognition, his mother would receive a bouquet of flowers with a card that read, “To have an All-CIF kid, it takes an All-CIF mother.

Not a bad compliment to the person that brought you in to the world.

Across the country in Florida, as Teddy Bridgewater played high school football, his mother Rose fought breast cancer. He wanted to quit playing football and be the man of the family, but his mother refused to let him. In turn, she fought with all her strength, not missing a game. She was also his beacon during hard times at Louisville.

“She told me that I’m blessed and God blessed me with talent so use it to the best of my ability and take advantage,” he said before the draft where he was taken in the first round by Minnesota. “She told me to have a purpose in life and that’s one thing that I take away from her, besides her fight, determination and sacrifices that she made. To live that purpose out loud.”

And now, Bridgewater has kept a promise he made in the third grade as an eight-year-old.

“When I make it to the pros, guess what I’m going to buy you?” he said to his mother. “A pink Escalade.”

On Wednesday, he presented his mother just that, a Cadillac SUV with pink rims, that was captured by filmmaker Spike Lee’s documentary, “A #Promise2Rose.”